Dawn
ENGL 3850-02N
Supernatural Lit
Dr. Coats
14 April, 1998
"Psycho" Analysis
I have to admit that I was so excited about this book that I read it at the beginning of the semester. The book has been etched into my memory ever since. I haven't seen the movie, but the book was totally awesome. I couldn't put it down until I was finished with it.
Let me say that I think Freud would have a field day with poor Norman Bates. This is a man who loved his mother too much and couldn't stand it when she found a lover. So in order to rectify the situation he kills his mother and her lover, but then starts dressing up like his mother and killing people. And get this - he believes that his mother is still alive and that she is the one killing people. The shower scene was classic, and I especially thought that the peephole he looked through to spy on the woman staying at his hotel was especially frightening. The other aspect of the book that got to me is that the people of the area, especially the sheriff, would not believe that Norman was capable of killing people and actually believed that his mother was still alive and that he was covering for her! Either Norman is a master manipulator or just totally insane, but you are never really sure...
I happened to read this book late at night and my imagination went flying as I read the last word. Robert Bloch has spun a masterpiece and I can definitely see why the book is such a classic. For a person like me (a psychology major), books like this are a constant thrill ride (I mean, I may have to deal with a real-life Norman Bates of the modern world someday). Robert Bloch is truly another genius in the genre of Horror/Supernatural!